Poker Software Revealed with UK PokerNews Editor Matthew Pitt (Yorksh1rePud)

The Editor of UK PokerNews, Matthew Pitt, took some time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions about his use of poker software.  When not writing about online and live poker, he is often visiting the virtual felts on Ongame under the handle of Y0rk5h1r3Pud and on PokerStars as Yorksh1rePud.

PokerSoftware:  What poker software are you currently using and have used in the past?

Matthew Pitt:  While I am playing poker, I use PokerTracker and its built-in HUD. After a session, I use a couple of reports in PT4 to look at my biggest pots won and lost and any other hands that gave me trouble. Usually, this means looking at hand equities.

I've used software for as long as I can remember. The first one I remember using was PokerTracker 2, where you had to run PokerACE HUD alongside it to have a HUD on your screen. Since then, I have used Holdem Manager 1 and, more recently, Holdem Manager 2 before switching to PT4 during the latter part of 2013.

Away from the tables and not necessarily software per se, I am a member of Phil Galfond's Run It Once, where I watch videos and participate in forum discussion.

PokerSoftware:  What were the reasons you switched from HM2 to PT4?

Matthew Pitt:  I wrote an article about PT4 for PokerNews' UK site and Steve McLoughlin was kind enough to take some time to walk me through everything PT4 had to offer so I could give a fair review.  Steve's passion for his product shone through and I was sold by the end of our discussion. It probably helped that I ran really well for a couple of weeks after starting to use PT4 too.

PokerSoftware: What do you like better about PT4 compared to HM2?

Matthew Pitt:  One thing I prefer is how PT4 seems like a complete package in that you pay for it and everything you need or want is there. For example, you get NoteTracker, the Equity Calculator, and the ICM Calculator built into PT4.

The second is so small that you will probably laugh, but I like how PT4 converts your currency in real-time rather than with a predefined conversion rate. Being from the UK, I like to have my base currency set in British Pounds, yet I mainly play in US Dollars. PT4 converts the amounts won and lost using a currency rate it grabs at the time of conversion rather than using a figure you have to continually update. This helps keep my OCD in check; they say it's the little things that are important, don't they?

Finally, I find PT4 more pleasing on the eye than HM2. That said, I actually prefer the default HM2 HUD and pop-ups over PT4's offerings.

PokerSoftware:  How many HUD profiles do you regularly use and how do you decide which one is appropriate for a particular session?

I use two profiles, and looking at them, both are quite similar. The main difference is that my MTT HUD displays the number of big blinds a player has in their stack, which is extremely useful when playing multiple tables. Also, my MTT HUD is mainly geared toward pre-flop play, which a lot of MTT and MTTSNGs are, particularly if you play Turbo games a lot.

My cash HUD has a few stats such as turn c-bet and fold to turn c-bet and a couple of other stats that take longer to converge and actually mean something, as I am more likely to bump into the same players time and time again in cash games, but not so much in large-field MTTs.

PokerSoftware:  How have you been utilizing PT4 as a study tool?

Matthew Pitt:  If I am entirely honest, I haven't used PT4 as much as I could have in the past, but since the start of 2014, I have begun delving into the reports in a more in-depth fashion.

After I have finished playing a session, I will often filter a report to show my biggest winning and losing hands to see if I could have played them any differently.  I think looking at your biggest winning hands is as important as your losing hands because (1) you actually get lucky more often than you would like to believe and (2) you may discover you're relying on getting lucky in order to turn a profit, which then allows you to look at other areas of your game.

I also like to go through hands that got me thinking during play. I play anything between six and 16 tables, so it leaves little time to analyze play fully mid-session.  I'll also add notes to players that I missed while I was playing and take a look at my own statistics to see if I was folding to too many c-bets, for example.

PokerSoftware:  What is the biggest improvement to your game as a result of being a member of Run It Once?

Matthew Pitt:  Although I only have the Essential subscription, there are still some very talented players making videos for Run It Once.  I believe watching players who are better than you is important to your own development.

The most recent series I watched was recorded by fellow Brit Paul Senter, known as "Senterpied" online, which showed him going through a hand history of a win in a PokerStars $20 Cubed tournament. With him winning the tournament, he obviously ran well, but I found it interesting to see the various tough spots he found himself in and his reasoning behind each play, even if the play was a fold.

The biggest area of improvement has come in my aggression pre-flop and post-flop, and that is a result of altering my bet-sizing. Previously, I was making my bets too large, and that can put you in a tricky spot where you might feel obliged to call.  By making my bet sizes smaller, I have given myself more room for maneuvering pre-flop and post-flop and my stress levels are much lower as a result.

Another area that has improved is my hand-reading.  Since watching a number of videos on the site, I feel my ability to put players on a more accurate range of hands has vastly increased.  Obviously, I am still incorrect a lot of the time, but I feel much more in control whenever I sit down and play a session.

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